where jess ate

Mike and I came here on a long weekend Monday. When I called to make a reservation the day before, I was told they didn’t take reservations for brunch, as it was on a first-come-first-served basis. Their website indicated that they accepted reservations, but I guess this isn’t applicable to their brunch and I could see why. When we arrived just before noon, it was packed! We put our name on the waitlist and waited about 20 minutes for a table. We probably would have been seated a bit quicker if we had opted to sit on the patio; however, it was a little chilly and looked like it was going to rain, so we decided to wait for a table indoors instead.

After being seated, a server promptly took our drink orders. We both ordered coffee ($2.95 each). I think they were a bit short-staffed since it was a long weekend, as the service was a little slow from the get-go. After taking our drink orders, it took about 10 minutes for us to get our coffee.

Since their menu boasted that they had “Toronto’s best blueberry scones” according to the Toronto Star, we knew we had to order some of these, so we ordered the Warm Scone Share Plate – cream + preserves ($8). This share plate came with four small scones, topped with powdered sugar. It also came with a side of vanilla bean cream (we think), butter and jam. These scones were to-die-for! They tasted just as amazing as they looked. They were a little crispy on the outside and soft and moist on the inside. I highly recommend ordering these scones. You can also order these to go, and there were quite a few customers who dropped by just to pick up a few pastries and coffee.

For my main, I went with the Eggs Benedict – 2 poached eggs, smoked pork loin, toasted english muffin, hollandaise + hand cut French fries ($12.75). The hollandaise had a very lemony taste to it which I didn’t like (I’m not a huge fan of citrus), but Mike really enjoyed it, so I guess it it’s really just a matter of preference. Otherwise, the eggs were perfectly cooked and the pork was nice. I also really enjoyed the large side of fries it came with, which were nice and crispy.

Mike contemplated ordering the Southern fried chicken + waffles, but figured it was a bit too unhealthy, especially since we had also ordered the scones. So, he settled with the Smoked Brisket Hash – fried eggs + chipotle cream ($14). It didn’t look at all appetizing, as you can see from the picture. Although the eggs were nicely cooked (still runny in the middle), I found the meat in the hash to be a bit tough and dry. However, the flavour of the hash was pretty good. It was just unfortunate the meat wasn’t very good.

After finishing our meals, it took a while to flag a server down to get the bill. Again, I think this was due to them being short-staffed over the long weekend. Overall, the food was decent, but the only things really worth the trek out here were the blueberry scones (they really are some of the best in the city!).

At a glance:

They serve some of the best blueberry scones in the city but the rest of the food wasn’t as memorable

Brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 4pm

They have a patio to enjoy on a nice day